


End of Days

by larkafterdark



Series: Weddings [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Cancer, F/M, Weddings, cancer fic, cancer wedding fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-27
Updated: 2015-12-14
Packaged: 2018-05-03 14:37:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5295035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/larkafterdark/pseuds/larkafterdark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At first they decided to wait it out. Right after she was diagnosed they pushed the wedding back, with every intention of being married once she’d finished chemo, but the cancer kept getting more aggressive, and Felicity just kept getting sicker.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part 1

Donna was visiting when she collapsed on the floor of the bridal salon in the dress they were sure was the one. She hadn't left since, not in ten months.

 

When it became painfully clear that Felicity wouldn't be leaving the hospital for a while, Oliver had her moved to the biggest suite in the hospital and filled it with mementos- pictures of their time travelling together, a fern, one of the computers from the lair and even her rolling chair. People would bring things to help decorate, Laurel brought paper flowers that sat beside her bed, since real flowers were forbidden. Digg and Lyla had a blanket made of a picture of Felicity and Oliver holding Sara at her christening, and even Roy sent an endless series of letters and postcards and occasionally little trinkets he thought she would like from the various places he visited.

 

At first there was a rotating cast of people, Barry visited when he could, Lance was there nearly every day in the beginning, Ray was there twice a week, and Thea would come by and paint her nails and share gossip with a new shipment of magazines every Sunday. But as she got sicker and weaker, thinner and less sociable, visiting hours grew stricter, the visits slowed, and now it was just her and Oliver and Diggle, like it had been in the beginning.

 

Slowly Oliver stopped being the Green Arrow, he would go out every now and then, but then one day she fell getting into her desk chair while he was out and Donna was getting coffee, and it all stopped from there. Laurel and Thea and Digg still did it, but down two team members things were far from the same.

 

They had every intention of getting married at first. They even had the planner coming to the hospital, but after some time they discontinued her services and focused on Felicity’s treatments. Getting married became a taboo subject, and even Donna stopped mentioning it after a few months. Things turned darker, and it was all cancer all the time. 

 

Felicity watched Oliver when he wasn't looking and wished he would move on with his life, even though she knew he wouldn’t. She watched him deteriorate, sleeping on the cot beside her every night, showering only when someone else was there. She would hear him doing pushups when she woke up in the morning, his attempt to keep busy and in shape while she slept, and would keep her eyes shut so as not to stop him. She’d already stopped him from doing so much.

~

She was used to waking up to the sound of Oliver’s labored breathing each morning, and it brought her peace before entering the chaos of the day. She could smell her mothers perfume to her left and hear the _flick_ of old magazine pages as she went through a copy of _People_ for the hundredth time. Faintly, she heard John snoring in the armchair in the corner. She sat for a minute, enjoying the peace that she knew would flee once she opened her eyes. 

 

Right in the middle of enjoying her quiet, the door burst open. Oliver jumped to attention, ready to charge, Diggle’s snoring halted, Donna gasped, the magazine falling to the floor, and Felicity merely opened her eyes, startled.

“Sir, you really can’t be here.” Gina, the RN on Felicity’s floor insisted, trailing the men entering the room.

“It’s fine, Gina. I’m sure they’ll just be a minute.” Oliver shooed her out of the room. “Why are you here?”

 Felicity’s eyesight came into focus for a moment on Ray Palmer and Curtis Holt, both looking ragged. “We found a cure.”

~

No one noticed that Felicity had awoken, and she rather enjoyed being invisible for the moment, although she didn't like being left out of the conversation. Ray and Curtis relayed the procedure to Donna and Oliver, a procedure of their own invention that -with the help of Ray’s nanotech, refitted for Felicity’s cancer- would target and destroy the series of tumors in her brain.

“She would need to take medication afterwards,” Curtis held up a baggie of light purple pills “to ensure the cancer doesn't return, but it’ll work. We know it will. And we need to do it fast, or else…” he couldn't bring himself to say it.

“Have you tested it? On anything other than guinea pigs?” Digg questioned, understandably skeptical about injecting destructive nanobots into Felicity’s head.

“Well, we did test an older version of it on me when I had a blood clot, and I turned out just fine.”

Oliver frowned, “Debatable.”

“And if it doesn't work?” Donna asked, biting the remnants of cherry-red polish from her nails.

Ray held his breath for a second. “It’ll kill her.” Silence followed.

“It’s too risky.” Oliver said finitely.

“I want to do it.” Felicity finally spoke up. She instantly regretted doing so, as the whole room was hanging over her the second she did, spread around the bed with nervous eyes.

“Felicity.”

“Oliver.”

“It’s too risky.”

“Give me my glasses.” She felt someone slide them over her eyes, as she could no longer do so herself with the needles in her hands and arms. “I want to do it.” she repeated.

“Felicity…”

 “If you two keep going like this we’ll be stuck in a loop all day. Are we doing this thing or not?” Digg broke in, scrubbing his hand over his face.

“Felicity, this could kill you.”

“Or it could save me. I trust Ray and Curtis, and we know that this may very well be my _very last option_.” she shot a pained look at Oliver, whose neck veins were gradually becoming more pronounced. They knew the chemo was doing more harm than good. They’d known that for a while.

The silence that fell was deafening, broken only when Oliver pushed away from the bed and threw the door open, storming past some very frightened nurses down the hall to the elevator.

“Should I-“ 

“No, he’ll get over it. What do we need to do.”

Ray secured an operating room through a connection he had on the hospitals board of directors and had everything hidden from hospital records, as experimental procedures were still forbidden in Starling General.

Diggle and Lyla used their connections at ARGUS to secure an anesthesiologist to properly put Felicity under- if they were already doing an extremely risky procedure, they weren't taking any unnecessary risks. 

Donna helped Felicity shave what was left of her hair, as the injection site had to be completely clean and unobstructed to ensure maximum precision. They’d shaved her hair when it first started falling out, but that was months ago, and when she got sicker it was harder to cut. It was very difficult now, with her completely bedridden, but it was a necessary evil. When Donna fastened a white scarf around her head, Felicity grabbed her mothers fingers.

“I love you, Mom.” she looked up at her, eyes just slightly wet.

“I love you too honey.” Donna smiled sadly, forcing down the knot in her throat. She sat down beside the bed and kissed Felicity’s hand. “Dont worry, everything is going to be just fine.”

They sat that way for a while, before Curtis came with a wheelchair to take her to the operating room.

On her way to the elevator she kept thinking about Oliver. She knew Diggle and her mother had left voicemails on his phone, but he wasn't here. 

“Mom,” she looked to her mother as she struggled to roll the IV pole over the elevator gap. “I need you to call Oliver again. I need him to be here. I need to see him.”  She felt herself getting worked up, and heard the beep of the heart rate monitor connected to her finger. She was about to go into a full fledged panic attack.

“Honey, he’ll be here. You know Oliver, He’ll be here.” her mother took her hand and squeezed it firmly, getting her to mimic deep breathing that she’d learned while pregnant with Felicity. 

When they reached their level, Felicity had just about calmed down. That is until she saw that they were on the musty basement level.

“What are we doing down here?” She asked, looking around at her mother and Curtis.

“We’re waiting for you.” Thea said as she came down the hall, grinning, in a stunning red dress, cut just above the knees. She held out silk flowers to Felicity, who took them tentatively.

“What..?”

They rolled her out of the elevator and down the hallway.

“Man, I’ve missed you.” ten feet down the hall was Roy, in a dapper charcoal suit and bright red bowtie.

“Roy! What’re you doing here?”

“Anything for you, Felicity.” was all he said, before taking Thea’s hand walking ahead of them.

“You look amazing, Felicity. As always.” Barry came running up next to them, grinning in a suit matching Roy’s to the T. 

“Barry?”

Laurel came out of a room as they passed, wearing a dress matching Thea’s, and took Barry’s arm.

“They’re ready when you are, Felicity.” she took her hand from the comm in her ear, and strode ahead, keeping in pace with Roy and Thea.  Ahead of them, the first couple turned down into a room, followed by Laurel and Barry.

“They? Mom, I’m confused. What’s-?”

“Well, it’s about time, kid.” Detective Lance, in his best uniform, stood at the door, taking an IV post from Curtis, who smiled excitedly and scurried into the room ahead of them.

They turned the corner into the hospitals nondenominational church, where everyone was standing, turned towards Felicity. 

Standing at the end of the (very short) alter was Oliver, in his best suit- she would know, she’d had it tailored a million times- looking nervous as all hell. Digg stood behind him, and put a hand on his shoulder as a show of support. Being him were Roy and Barry, respectively. On the other side was Thea, Laurel, and Lyla, who was holding flower girl Sara. Ray stood alongside a rabbi, ready to officiate.

“Oliver.” She bit her lip, trying not to tear up.

“Felicity.”

“You’re marrying me?”

“If you come up here, yes.” he laughed a little, his eyes rimmed red.

“I’m on my way.” she turned to her mother.

“You sly woman.” her mother broke out laughing, as did Lance.

“Let’s do this kid.” he moved to wheel her, but she stopped him.

“Wait. Like hell am I not walking down the aisle at my own wedding. Help me up.”

After some small protests, they grasped her arms firmly, taking her IV’s on their other sides, and walked, tentatively, towards Oliver. 

She let go of her mother and reached out to Oliver, who took her frail hand firmly.

“You want to marry me?” she asked, more seriousness and strength in her voice than he’d heard in a very long time.

“I’ve always wanted to marry you, Felicity. And right now seems as good a time as any. If you want to marry me, that is.”

“Have I ever not wanted to marry you, Oliver Queen? And I’ll be damned if I die today and I’m not your wife.” she untwined her arm from Lance and took Oliver’s hand.

They stared at one another for a moment before Ray broke the silence.

“So shall we begin?”

“Yes.” Bride and groom said in unison.

“Okay then. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…”


	2. Two Years Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years after the hospital wedding. V. short, just a little follow-up.

_Flowers,_ the thought hit him as he stepped through the mausoleum doors, _I should've brought flowers_.

He considered leaving and coming back with a bouquet of lilies- Felicity’s favorite- but thought better of it, he was already running late. It was six thirty seven- the mausoleum had opened only a few minutes prior, but he was working on being punctual.

He stabbed at the elevators up button and glared at the woman speaking - or rather, lecturing- rapidly into her phone. This wasn't the place for that- this was a place of mourning, not bickering.

The doors opened to an elderly man with thin white hair and a worn leather jacket, who looked up at Oliver and nodded solemnly. This evidently wasn't where he wanted to be either.

“Visiting a parent?” The man asked once the doors shut.

“Coming to see my wife, actually.”

“Damn, I’m sorry. Me too, this is her floor.” the doors reopened “Good luck, son.”

Before Oliver could say anything the man was headed down the mausoleum hallway. 

—

When he reached the top floor he had to take out a map of the mausoleum to find the proper plots. Once he made it to the correct hallway he studied the names on the wall until he came upon the one he was looking for.

_Felicity M. Queen_

He ran his finger over the cold marble, tracing the carving of her name. Beside her name was his, waiting for him, and between them was a photograph, mounted on the marble, of the two of them the night he’d proposed. Felicity was flushed and grinning, Oliver was behind her, holding her to his chest, the ring glinting in the sun. He smiled lightly, touching the edge with light fingers.

“So, what do you think?” the sound of heels coming down the hall drew nearer, and Oliver turned to face the noise.

“I think my wife is running late.” he teased as Felicity came down the hall. "And I still think it's creepy we have spots in the mausoleum already.""

“And I think my husband is very forgiving.” she narrowed her eyes teasingly at him. "And it can't hurt to have the place ready, you never know what might happen."

She had called him the night before, wanting to sneak out and see him in the morning so she could show him the photo. “Now really, what do you think of the picture?”

“It’s perfect- very us.” He put an arm around her waist and pecked her lips.

“It is, isn't it. I can’t take all the credit, Thea narrowed it down to four pictures.” 

“We’ll have to thank her. Get her a new bow or something.”

“I was thinking a bottle of wine, but I think she’ll like yours better. You Queen’s and your weaponry.” Oliver wrapped his arms around her in a fashion similar to the picture,

“You’re a Queen, too.” he kissed her on the cheek and let go, taking her hand instead.

“Damn right I’m a queen- in both senses of the word.” she corrected herself “Now, lets make it official. Er, more official. My mother will kill you if I’m late.” 

“What if I’m late?”

“You’re the groom. You can be ready in thirty seconds. Twenty, if you’re being efficient.” Oliver chuckled and they walked back to the elevator. Today, their second anniversary, they were finally having their big wedding- a little late, but they waited for Felicity to have a clean bill of health before they even started planning again. 

Even then, they weren't going to have another ceremony, but Donna had already set her heart on seeing Felicity in that damn dress they’d picked three years ago. That and Thea insisted it would be good for the mayoral campaign- though Oliver and Felicity knew she was on the same boat as Donna.

“I’ll see you in like... 5 hours.” Felicity said when they reached their cars. She got up on her toes and pecked him on the lips before turning away quickly.

“Now go! You’re not supposed to see the bride on the wedding day” Oliver could hear the smile in her voice, and couldn't help but chuckle and smile with her.

He walked around to his door and snuck a glance at Felicity, who was just putting her keys in the ignition. She glanced over at him too and caught his stare. He saw her giggle a little, as if they were doing something, for lack of a better term, naughty. He shook his head, grinning, and fixed his stare on the steering wheel. Once he heard her pull away he pulled out and followed her white Mercedes until she turned off in a different direction- to her mothers- to get ready.

—

Hours later, Oliver stood at the alter like he had two years prior, though this time they had a proper priest, Ray was a groomsman, and they stood at the Bay- now gorgeous after his clean-up initiative- with a huge portion of Star City looking on.

The procession began, the same bridal party walking down, though this time Sara was there and they wore dark green dresses and ties.

At the end was Felicity, with Lance and Donna on either arm, wearing a beautiful wedding gown and with her hair curled and pinned around her face.

She met him at the end of the very, very long aisle and took his hands.

“So, I look better this time around, huh?” she laughed once her mother and Lance had sat down. The crowd beyond them laughed, and they were reminded of the microphones on the wedding arch that made it possible for news stations to report and everybody in attendance to hear their vows.

“You look just as beautiful as the first time I married you.” A chorus of ‘Aww’s’ followed him, and they couldn't help but laugh together.

“You ready to marry me? Again?” he asked.

“I’d marry you a hundred thousand times.”  again, a chorus of ‘Aww’s’ reminded them that they weren’t alone. The priest broke the silence.

“So shall we begin?”

“Yes.” Bride and groom said in unison.

“Okay then. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! Cameo by my grandfather, who has white hair, wears the same worn leather jacket every day, and visits my grandmother in the mausoleum every single day. This ones for you, Nanu.


End file.
